Ben

If you are anything like me, you were disappointed with Google a couple months back when they changed the way they handled the "Find" feature on their Google Toolbar.  Previously, whatever you searched for would show up as separate words across the top and an instant 1 click would allow you to search within a webpage for those terms.  As a researcher, this was an invaluable tool that I used for about 60% of my searches.

Then Google decided to "upgrade" their find tool by giving it its own button.  This now meant that not only did you have to click the button, but you then had to move the cursor down to the bottom of the page where the new find tool was located and click on the words.  This in effect doubled the work and broke something that used to be efficient.  Of course a two-click solution had always been available in the first place, so they didn't enhance anyone's experience with this change.

What type of budget you would like to have for your blog, and what you are going to do with it will help make the decision between Free tools or having your own website.  In general, if you want to make money on your blog you will be limited on the number of free tools you could use.  If you are just keeping a personal blog, the free tools might be the way to go.  Some of the benefits of your own website are that you have more control over how to post items, more control over the advertising you can implement, you can add more functionality, more control over the name, and you have the option of having your blog only be one of the pages in your site like I have over at Blogmaster General.  

Now you will need to decide who you will allow to read, post, comment, etc. on your blog.  Many of the software tools out there have a lot of options on who can access your site, so having this information thought out will help our setup process.  Why do this before you have loaded anything?  Because once you load the program or sign up for a site you will be in editing the settings right off and you may as well edit things while you are in there.  Also, this gives you plenty of time to think about who you would want to have access.

Obviously for your personal blog you would prefer only friends and family would be able to post comments and not spammers or some creepy dude that you don't know.  Cause based and niche business type blogs will also have their own needs in this regard.  As you start getting feedback you may also want to change your settings (IE you might get a lot of spam comments, in which case you can institute the weird letter verification system, or moderating each comment before they get posted, etc.)  Each layer of verification of course is going to have its draw backs.  There are tools to allow only registered users read your posts, but normally they have to log in to show they are registered.  Does Grandma really need to remember her log in each time she wants to see what you are up to?

Yes, a second Name post.  Last week I gave you some instructions on how to come up with possible names for your blog.  Hopefully you have had time to come up with a lot of naming options.  I also hope that you took the time to wait and see if you liked a name and gave yourself a while to consider your name.   After all, you are going to be building a "brand" out of this site so you will want to have something that you want to stick with.  Changing website names can be a real hassle.  Also, if you building a blog for your family and friends to be able to see what you are up to, it is another big hassle to suddently change the name and start anew.  When I moved, I sent out a email to all my contacts saying please update your address books.  Guess how many did.  I was still getting packages delivered to the old address a year and a half after I moved.

Have I experienced the name change on the web?  I sure have.  I let my first website's name expire and made the change to Ha Ha Shirt Shop